Up-date on Berliner Weisse

For an up-date on bridges between Germany and the United States, Berlin and Bethlehem (!), here's a story from The Week in Germany about the Berliner Weisse. Would you like yours with or without the "Schuss"? For a fine picture of the Berliner Weisse with the colorful "Schuss," see The Week in Germany. The article contains links to the American breweries that produce this stuff, including the one in Bethlehem.

Ich bin ein Berliner Weisse: A Berlin Beer Classic Enjoys a Renaissance in America

By The Brews Brothers, Steve Frank & Arnold Meltzer

When President John F. Kennedy proclaimed "Ich bin ein Berliner," grammarians pointed out that his German was a little rusty. Instead of "I am a Berliner," he accidentally stated, "I am a jelly doughnut." His statement could also have been interpreted to mean "I am a beer"- specifically, a mouth-puckering Berliner Weisse. At one time, numerous breweries in Berlin specialized in this tart treat, which is made from wheat malts and fermented with lactobacillus, the same culture that lends yogurt its sour zing.

While the beer has been in decline in Germany, American beer enthusiasts and craft brewers have taken an interest in the style, and there may now be more breweries making Berliner Weisse-style beers in America than in Germany.

The Champagne of the North

When you order a Berliner Weisse, a Berlin bartender will ask whether you prefer “rot” (red) or “grün” (green). The choice is between a dash of red raspberry syrup or a green essence of the herb woodruff that imparts melon and vanilla flavors. Anyone ordering a Berliner Weisse “ohne Schuss” (straight) is likely to raise eyebrows among Berliners, who consider the stuff too sour to drink straight.

Outsiders have learned to appreciate the Berliner Weisse style without the sugary shots, however. When Napoleon’s troops reached Berlin in 1809, they are said to have feted the beverage as “the champagne of the North.” Those French troops knew what they were talking about. Like champagne, Berliner Weisse undergoes a secondary fermentation that gives it a marvelously spritzy character.

A Berliner with an American Accent

Apparently, many American beer adventurers feel the same way as Napoleon’s troops. Bethlehem Brew Works head brewer Beau Baden, who makes one of several new American takes on the Berliner Weisse style, reports that about half of his customers drink their Berliner Weisse straight. We also found the syrups too sweet, so we set out to sample some American interpretations of the Berlin style “ohne Schuss” (without a shot).

Southampton Publick House in Long Island brews a Berliner Weisse with a mild lemony character that gives way to an eruption of sourness in the finish, reminding one of both lemonade and cider.

The Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Delaware just released a "neo- Berliner Weisse” fermented with peach concentrate as its new summer brew. At 4.5 percent alcohol by volume, their Festina Peche is a fine rendition of the style. It is light-bodied, somewhat hazy and tart, with low bitterness and notes of varying levels of peach throughout. The brewery suggests pairing it with grilled chicken, fish and salads.

Why are American breweries picking up on the style? "It may be because craft beer lovers are looking for something different" from the high-alcohol, over-hopped brews that seem to dominate the marketplace, suggests Southampton' head brewer Phil Markowski.

It also may be that professionalism on the part of brewers plays a role. "It presents a new frontier of uncharted territory,” explains Markowski. "It's a real brewing challenge."

Of course, the refreshingly tart taste may have something to do with it as well. Gordon Grubbs, the head brewer at Nodding Head Brewpub in Philadelphia explains that Berliner Weisse is an excellent summer beer: “On a hot day in the 90s, you come here and get a Berliner and it’s just fabulous.” Nodding Head is probably the largest producer of Berliner Weisse in the US, and its Ich bin ein Berliner Weisse has won medals at the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer cup.

New Variations from Germany

Until recently, the classic German examples of the style included Berliner Kindl and Schultheiss. However, after a conglomerate called the Radeberger Group acquired both breweries, it ceased production of the Schultheiss and made a decision to stop exporting the Berliner Kindl to the United States. A few stray bottles still linger at some retailers.

Despite the decline, there is good news on the horizon for American Berliner Weisse enthusiasts.

Beer importer B. United has introduced two new German interpretations of the Berliner Weisse style to the US market.

One of them is brewed by Professor Fritz Briem, technology director at the Doemens Akademie brewing school near Munich. Named 1809, after the year Napoleon's troops first encountered the style, it is brewed in the traditional manner. We found it very effervescent, with notes of grapefruit and nutmeg and a strong lime character, along with a very dry aftertaste. Briem is brewing a different version using wild yeasts, which he believes is closer to the original. It should be available next year.

B. United also is bringing in a Berliner Weisse-style beer made by the Bayrischer Bahnhof Brauerei in Leipzig. This is the same brewery that makes Leipziger Gose, a long-forgotten cousin to Berliner Weisse that has coriander and salt added to the boil. Their Berliner Weisse is mildly tart from start to finish where it is joined by a strong sour lemon which then fades in the aftertaste.

Both the 1809 and the Bayrischer Bahnhof Berliner Weisse will be available in casks, a first for German versions of this style.

Steve Frank and Arnold Meltzer are Washington, DC area beer lovers who write about beer for various publications. Steve Frank's parents were born in Bavaria.